Memphis City Council to vote on panhandling ordinances

Measures to restrict begging area, set up alcohol impact zone

The City Council will vote today on two controversial measures aimed at cracking down on aggressive panhandling.

A new ordinance would establish a Downtown alcohol impact zone where single-beer sales would be banned because of purported ties between those sales and antisocial behaviors and aggressive panhandling.

The other measure would amend a 1994 ordinance and restrict passive begging to limited locations in that zone and clamp down on panhandling anywhere in the city, including near ATMs, banks, parking lots, gas stations and outdoor dining areas.

Today's votes follow weeks of public hearings. The measures have received broad support from Downtown constituents, including a strong showing of Downtown's 22,000 full-time residents and the area business community, but challenges from beer vendors and social-justice advocates.

"This issue has received more discussion than anything that has recently come before the council," said councilman Myron Lowery, chairman of the Public Safety and Homeland Security committee.

Mid-South Peace and Justice Center officials say the two measures do little to address the root causes of the panhandling problem and have warned the proposals could just push panhandlers into other neighborhoods.

The organization, which has submitted its own plan, wants access to mental health resources, substance abuse rehabilitation and housing opportunities for non-violent or occasional offenders while calling for strict prosecution of repeat or violent offenders.

The business owners and attorneys have said there are already laws that prohibit open containers and aggressive panhandling and people would still be able to buy cheap alcohol at liquor stores in the alcohol impact zone.

They also say the alcohol impact zone would hurt the businesses inside the zone while giving an advantage to companies outside its borders.